allpay retains sole supplier status on bill payment framework

June 3, 2015

Payment specialist allpay has retained sole supplier status on a national electronic payments framework for local authorities and social housing organisations across the UK.

Led by Consortium Procurement, the procurement arm of the Northern Housing Consortium (NHC), the OJEU-compliant framework has been acquired for an initial term of two years, plus an option to extend for a further two years.

This is the third time the NHC has tested the market for a bill payment supplier in a bid to provide best value and quality to its members, and the third time allpay has been appointed as sole supplier following a rigorous and competitive tender process.

In the latest procurement, which can be accessed by all current and future members, the NHC said that allpay were “up to date with payment trends”, offering members “robust processes that had been tried and tested in the market”.

The framework covers electronic payment services across cash, card and direct debit acceptance, allowing any local authority or social housing organisation to utilise allpay’s services for the collection of rent, council tax, sundry debts and fines, without the need to conduct a full tender exercise.

As well as offering members preferential rates through collaborative procurement, it also offers substantial procurement savings for members, with the estimated cost of a fully OJEU-compliant tender process costing between £20,000 and £30,000.

Members of the NHC will be able to take payments from their customers via a range of payment methods, including:

Fully-managed, online direct debit service offering a full range of collection dates and frequencies

In addition, members will be able to utilise allpay’s latest innovative payment products, allowing members to brand their online payment pages and offer a mobile PAYG service to their residents that offers a 10% loyalty bonus towards their rent every time they top up.

allpay currently provides payment solutions to more than a third of UK local authorities and more than 500 housing providers.

allpay Managing Director Tony Killeen said: “The Consortium Procurement framework has now become one of the most recognised frameworks nationally, and the new agreement will continue to offer members savings through cost-effective bill payment technology.

He continued: “allpay is delighted to have been awarded sole supplier status on the framework for a third time. This shows that we continue to offer the widest range of payment options for members at market-leading rates. There is great demand from housing organisations and local authorities to streamline their payment services across cash, debit/credit card and direct debit acceptance where this can be supplied by a single organisation under a single contract.

“Members will also benefit from the direct investment we are making in online, mobile and direct debits over the next 12 months, further streamlining processes and aiding in payment collection.”

Tracy Harrison, Commercial Director at the NHC said: “We have been offering a solution for electronic payment services for over 10 years. In excess of 100 members across the UK currently procure their contract via the NHC framework. With the wider roll out of Universal Credit on the horizon, it is more important than ever for members to offer a range of payment options to their customers. Allpay Ltd offers a suite of innovative payment methods and we are delighted to be continuing our highly successful partnership with them. The savings offered on transaction rates through this new framework provides members with even greater value for money. We look forward to working with allpay for the next 4 years to deliver a fantastic service to our members.”